Janis Ian

She first married Peter Cunningham, a photojournalist whom she met at a peace rally. The marriage, however, failed and she who had retired from music industry switched back to singing and songwriting.

In 1978, she married Portuguese filmmaker Tino Sargo but this alliance too did not work out and two separated in 1983.

In 1993, she let the world know of her sexual preferences as she claimed herself to be a lesbian. Ten years later, she tied the nuptial knot with Patricia Snyder in Toronto.

Janis Ian was born as Janis Eddy Fink to Victor and Pearl in New York City. His parents operated a summer camp in New York.

Raised in a Jewish household, young Janis spent most of her childhood days in New Jersey. She attended the East Orange High School in New Jersey to complete her formal education.

Since an early age, she had a fascination for folk music and was inspired by the music of Joan Baez, Odetta, Edith Piaf and Billie Holiday. Musically inclined, she started learning how to play the piano at the age of six.

At the age of 12, she wrote her first song ‘Hair of Spun Gold’, which was published in the folk publication Broadside. The same year, she legally changed her name from Janis Eddy Fink to Janis Ian, the last name which was the middle name of her brother Eric.

By the time she entered her teens, she had learned various musical instruments such as organ, harpsichord, French horn, flute and guitar.

At the age of 13, she wrote and sang her first single ‘Society’s Child Baby I’ve Been Thinking’. The song depicted the interracial romance which was looked down upon by the society and the parents of the girl in love.

Since the society back then rigidly and religiously followed the rules, the lyrics of the song which mocked people who abhorred interracial relationship created a stir in the society. The song was thus banned from playing at several radio stations. She even received hate mails and death threats for the song.

Between 1965 and 1967, the song was released thrice. However, it was in its third release when Leonard Bernstein featured it in a CBS TV special titled Inside Pop: The Rock Revolution that the song went on to become a national hit.

Despite all odds, the song enjoyed immense popularity among the rest of the society, leaving a section of it. It went on to reach the number 14 status on the Billboard Hot 100 charts having sold more than 600,000 copies. The success of the song made her an overnight star

In 1967she released her eponymous debut album, ‘Janis Ian’ which was finally released on Verve Forecast. The album peaked at Number 29 and sold more than 350,000 copies.

She won a Grammy award for Best Pop Vocal Performance – Female in 1975 for her song, ‘At Seventeen’ from the album, ‘Between the Line’.

In 2001, ‘Society's Child’ was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, which honors recordings considered timeless and important to music history.

In 2013, she won her second Grammy Award in the category of Best Spoken Word Album, for her autobiography, ‘Society's Child’.